Ila Arun: Censorship just for the sake of moral policing is wrong

Ila Arun (Pic: Shashank Sane)

For over 40 years, Ila Arun has been captivating the audience with her music and acting. While for many, it’s songs like

Choli Ke Peeche

, Ghagra and

Gutur Gutur

that come to mind the moment you hear her name, Ila says that acting on stage is her first love. In the city recently to stage two of her plays – Miracle on Matunga Street and Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke – the actress and singer spoke to us about doing consecutive shows, the need for original music compositions today, and

censorship

.
‘Want theatre to be a thriving business’
It’s no secret that despite being a powerhouse of talent, theatre is a financially struggling medium. That prompted the question of whether theatre will turn into a commercially viable medium or will it end up being a passionate artiste’s space, eventually. To this, Ila replied, “It’s high time theatre became a thriving and commercially strong business. There are very few people like us who are passionately pursuing it today. Asking for support has almost become like begging but it shouldn’t have to be that way. Theatre is a living art as is classical music, and both have to be supported wholeheartedly.” Calling for the involvement of the corporate sector in theatre, Ila added, “The theatre community is so big in India and it’s an age-old tradition. But theatre can’t sustain with just passion. It needs financial backing, and I think corporates should come forward to adopt different theatre groups for the same. This will not only help the art form but also a large number of artistes that are dependent on theatre for livelihood. I think there’s potential to put Indian theatre on par with professional groups in the UK and US. But for that to happen, there needs to be strong financial backing on priority. Theatre can’t bloom or survive without two things — monetary support and freedom of expression.”

‘Sahitya samaj ka darpan hai’
The actress-singer is no stranger to censorship or moral policing. On the topic of recent instances of singers like Diljit Dosanjh and Karan Aujla being accused of glorifying drugs and alcohol through their songs, Ila said it’s important to find a middle ground. “I can’t speak for other singers, but I am on neither extreme when it comes to this issue. As artistes, we need to be responsible about what we cater to society, but it’s equally true that art or literature is a reflection of society. Sahitya samaj ka darpan hai. That said, it saddens me to see youngsters getting carried away by some songs. You don’t need to lose your senses to enjoy a piece of music. Enjoy

responsibly,” shared Ila.

‘We can’t escape censorship and at times, it’s necessary’
The actress shared that her

autobiography

,

Parde Ke Peechey

, has answers to a lot of questions she encountered over the years. When asked about censorship, Ila said it’s something that’s always been around. “We can’t escape censorship and at times, it’s necessary if someone is trying to harm or mislead people. But if it’s being done just for sensationalising or the sake or moral policing, then censorship is wrong. When we submit scripts of our plays to the relevant censor body, I have sometimes challenged them when changes were suggested. I think you need to read the entire script to understand what it’s trying to say rather than fixating on one controversial line or scene in it,” she said.

‘Nobody has the time to compose original tunes today’
With remakes of old Hindi songs becoming increasingly common in new projects, Ila shared that it’s an unfortunate development. She added, “In the name of recreation, nobody has the time to compose original tunes or write sensible lyrics. Personally, I feel new compositions should not be ignored. Taking inspiration is different. Everybody is inspired by something – Kalyanji bhai was inspired by folk songs, Naushad was inspired by classical music, even Bappi da was inspired by international music. But inspiration is entirely different from lifting or recreating a song. No wonder old melodies are still young and alive in the hearts of music lovers.” Asked about her favourite new-age artistes, Ila said, “Mujhe toh Arijit (Singh) hi pasand hai bhai. Jo cheez mujhe chhooti nahi, woh mein sunti nahi. If nothing else, I listen to my songs only.”

On theatre giving her more scope to experiment & explore
Following her portrayal of

Maham Anga

in

Jodhaa Akbar

, Ila said she started getting only vamp roles. “I never accepted them. A film is someone else’s brainchild and there’s a lot of commercial aspects involved. But theatre gives me full scope to explore and experiment. It is a better place to showcase your skills because on stage, you are the queen or master of your own creation,” she shared.